Local First Arizona hosted a third and final roundtable discussion on April 8th in Lake Havasu to introduce the Lake Havasu Food Alliance brand concept to community members, share about Lake Havasu Food Alliance’s upcoming projects and events, and spark interest in attendees to become more involved. 

Conversations from this and the last two roundtable discussions helped the group to identify some exciting LHFA projects to tackle in the future such as a ‘Homemade in Havasu’ cottage (home-based) business market, a ‘Restaurant Row’ event hosted on the main downtown street featuring local restaurants, and partnering with Mohave Community College and Arizona @ Work to provide free restaurant staff training to local businesses.

In partnership with the Mohave County Workforce Board, Local First Arizona connected Creative Care with the Arizona@Work Eligible Training Provider List (ETPL) program that now funds them not only to conduct training for their own new hires but also to provide CNA training to anyone in Mohave County who would like to attain their CNA license. This has created a workforce pipeline for all of Mohave County and is providing Creative Care with diversified income that they can utilize for their staff and facilities.

Young professionals in Kingman have expressed that they feel disconnected from their community, especially for those who relocated to Kingman during Covid-19. Outside of meeting people through work, connecting to other young professionals in the area has been a challenge. This is creating high turn-over rates for many local employers as young professionals are leaving due to the inability to connect with their new community outside of the workplace.

It’s adventure season and we’re kicking it off with National Road Trip day! What better way to explore Arizona than with a plan that keeps your passions and interests in mind? Check out this Local First Arizona approved road-trip guide that aligns with your devotion to supporting small businesses, diverse communities, local food producers, and environmental action across the state. We’ll see you out on the road!

In November 2020, Local First Arizona interviewed Duncan residents, business owners, elected officials, working professionals, volunteers, and parents to gain an understanding of spending patterns resulting in either dollars recirculating in the local economy or leaking out of the local economy.

Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cottonwood Chamber of Commerce was experiencing pressure from a variety of angles. Members were struggling to stay afloat and a Chamber membership did not rank as a high priority when facing workforce challenges, added costs safety and wellness precautions, past due utilities and rents, and lost revenue for almost a year.

Pipeline AZ is a multi-sided platform bringing job seekers, companies, educational institutions and workforce organizations together to match talent to market needs and prepare job seekers for future opportunities - online. Unlike other career services or workforce development platforms, Pipeline AZ serves the entire workforce ecosystem simultaneously: companies, job seekers, educators and workforce organizations. Pipeline AZ is free for users, and will include case management for job seekers to help best connect their skills to job opportunities. Employers can list jobs, internships and/or apprenticeships.

In January 2020, the San Manuel Revitalization Coalition was formed as a solution for this unincorporated community to have one centralized resource and provide a unified voice to Pinal County for concerns and needs. With a volunteer board of fifteen community members, the group finalized its status as a recognized 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and was able to raise over $10,000 in start-up funding for community programming.

As summer approaches, many communities are preparing for the barrage of Phoenicians that will soon head out to explore vibrant (and cool) rural destinations. We chatted with #RuralAZ Local First Arizona member, Jen Luria, co-creator of Bisbee-based Dog Cat Mouse Media on how to make your community stand out.

The town of Camp Verde and Local First Arizona have partnered together to launch a regional agricultural brand called ‘Verde Grown’. Verde Grown is a celebration of the hard-working communities that have stayed connected to their agricultural roots and who act as stewards of the Verde River. Support of Verde Grown producers and products strengthens the resiliency, sustainability, and economic vitality of the Verde Valley region and Central Arizona.

The Village of Tubac recently launched an initiative to create a community brand that illustrates the rich heritage and unique creativity that abounds within their community. With intent to gather as much community input as possible, the Tubac Chamber of Commerce invited a number of local merchants and community members to participate in the community project led by Local First Arizona in partnership with the Arizona Office of Tourism to ensure an outcome that was representative of the community, its residents, and its businesses.

If you’ve been following the GLOCULL Pilot Project Series, you are familiar with the innovative stories of farmland, sustainable business, and indigenous foods projects, but you might be wondering what’s next for GLOCULL partners at ASU’s School of Sustainability and School for the Future of Innovation in Society, City of Phoenix, and City of Tempe. We turned our focus toward what policy work needs to be done and where small businesses, food producers, and advocates can focus their efforts in 2021.

The Haunted Group has done it again; The Clinkscale Hotel, Bar and Grill is now open for business in Jerome. The Haunted Group is credited with putting Jerome and Cottonwood on the map by introducing fresh concepts to these beloved historical towns. The Haunted Group is known for local favorites like the Haunted Hamburger, the Tavern Hotel and Pizzeria Bocce and has created destinations that are loved by Phoenicians, out-of-state travelers and locals alike.

Local First Arizona recently introduced an ongoing series about GLOCULL Pilot Projects, a series of projects aimed at moving the needle toward a thriving local and sustainable food economy with both local and global support. With ongoing partnerships with ASU’s School of Sustainability and School for the Future of Innovation in Society, City of Phoenix, and City of Tempe, we will continue to explore these innovative projects. The first project was a Coalition of Farmland Preservation.

Food Systems sit at the intersection of water, energy, and food—we need each of these components to produce the other components- they are interdependent industries. Diving into this Food-Water-Energy (FWE) nexus to address social, environmental, and economic issues, while ensuring there is enough healthy and affordable food to feed our community, is a complex endeavor.

Local First Arizona has been a champion for localized economic development in Arizona since 2003, and in that time we’ve never seen a greater challenge to sustaining community resiliency than that posed in 2020. LFA works in partnership with communities, organizations, and businesses to bridge “traditional” economic development with models that strengthen local resilience and address disparities across urban and rural Arizona. We focus the work on unique economic development strategies that aim to keep local dollars circulating in local communities, create jobs one at a time, and build stronger connections to place for those that continue to choose Arizona as their home.

It’s no secret that Arizona’s housing market is booming. Due to this growth however, many communities are now experiencing housing shortages, especially in rural Arizona. The result is a lack of housing available at a price point attainable for the majority of the working class.

In the United States, agricultural land is being lost at an alarming rate—over 1.5 million acres per year. This dramatic decline in farmland reflects a nationwide expansion of urban development that is putting high-quality farmland at risk. Arizona and Maricopa County face similar issues with farmland loss. Between 1997 and 2017, 36% of all farmland in Maricopa County was lost, and rapid urban development and the high cost of land continues to threaten the security of community farmers and the local food system.